Covered dump car



Aug. 28, 1923. 1 C. H. CLARK ET AL COVERED DUMP CAR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed'April 28 1921 Aug. 28, 1923,

c. H. CLARK ET AL COVEREDDUMP GAR 1921 2 Sheens-Sheet '2 Filed' April 28 cgf WIT ESSE6 Application filed April 28, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES H. CLARK and JHOWARD L. BEACH, citizens of the United States, and residents, respectively, of Library and Mount Lebanon, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have made a new and useful Im provementin Covered Dump Cars, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to dump cars and particularly to rail-traversing dump cars of the tilting-body type.

t is sometimes desirable to protect the contents of dump cars from weather conditions, and one of the objects of this invention is to provide .a suitable cover for a tilting-body dump car which will not interfere with,-or in any way hamper, the operation of dumping the car.

'A further object is to provide a cover for a' car, such as specified, which will not decrease the capacity'of the car nor prevent. heaped loading.

A further object is to produce a dump-car cover which is a plicable to dump cars, such as illustrated in latent No. 1,333,293, issued to Clark and Beach on March 9, l92Qf, E Isand which is arranged to co-operate with" the swinging doors during the dumping operation.

These andother objects. which will. be

made more apparent throughout the further description. are attained by means of ap paratus embodying the features herein described and illustrated in the drawings accompanying and forming a part hereof.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an end elevation of a car with the body shown in the upright position; the trucks and associated elements are omitted for simplicity of illustration. Figure 2 is an end view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1 with the car body tilted to a dumping position. In this view the cover is shown in section for the purpose of illustrating .the construction and arrangement of loading hatches forming a detail of the invention. a

In an application filed September 28, 1918 by Charles H. Clark, serially numbered 256,130, a self righting dump car is dis closed. In that application, the. inventor has pointed out that, in order to obtain a self-righting body, it is necessary to so pro- 1:115 H. ocean, or LIBRARY, AND HOWARD L.

the same time, is so BEACH, or mourn LEBANON, v.assrenoas To cmnx CAR come, a coarona'rron or COVERED DUMP can.

Serial No. 465,174.

portion the body that its center of gravity does not move laterally beyond the laterally shifting point of support durin tion of tilting the body. It willie apparent that the center of gravity of the body Wlll be elevated somewhat by providing the body with a cover and that this raising of the center of gravity will afl'ect the relation between it and the laterally-moving .point of body support as the body is tilted. It will also, be apparent that the higher the center of gravity is raised above the body support, the greater its lateral displacement during the operation of tilting the car, and consequently the greater the possibility that it will move, laterally beyond the point of support as the car body is tilted. One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a tilting body with acover which does not reduce the capacity of the bod and, at roportione and so co-related with the b0 y thatthe body retains its self-righting characteristic.

Referring to the drawings, the car illustrated includes the usual under-frame having end girders 4, the usual tilting body 5 mounted on the under frame, and a cover 6' which may rest upon the upper edges of the body and is so arranged that one edge lifts off or is, in effect, elevated above the body during the dumping operation.

As shown, the tilting body 5 is provided with end walls 7, each of which is located adjacent to one of the end girders 4 of the underframe. -The body is also provided with hinged doors 8 which form. its sides and which are adapted to swing outwardly and downwardly. The operating mechanism of the doors is described and illustrated in the above-mentioned patent. As illustrated, each end of each side-door is provided with latch straps 9,.-ea'ch of which projects around the adjacent edge of the end 7 of the body and is adapted to co-operate with the opera:

nism is so raised, the hook I) engages the nectin to lift one edge of the cover 11 and in this way the mechanism locks door in an upright or closed position and about pin the confines the pin 11 in the support 11*, which the cover 6 pivots relatively to the body 5 as the body is tilted. As shown, the two latch mechanisms at the end of the car are operatively coupled. by means of a conrod 12 which is so arranged that one is swung to the inoperating mechanism the other is raised to operative position as the latching position.

In the drawings, we have illustrated the body as equipped with an operating cylinder 13 so arranged that it may be swung to one side or the other for the purpose of presenting the piston rod 14 either at the left-hand or at the right-hand side of the car. This is accomplished by pivotally mounting the cylinder on a pin 15 carried by the end of the body. Each end girder 4 is provided with two upwardly-projecting posts or abutments 16, each of which is adapted to be engaged by the piston rod 14 and to form an abutment against which forceis applied during the operation of tilting the body. When it is desired to tilt the bod to the-left, the cylinder 13 is swung so t at the piston rod 14 may be operatively coupled to the abutment 16 at the right-hand end of the girder 4. In Fig. 1, we have shown the parts in position for dumping to the right and the piston rod 14 is operatively coupled to the lefthand abutment 16 by means of a locking pin 17 which projects transversely through a rod-receiving clevis 18 rigidly secured to the upper end of the abutment .16. The latch mechanisms 10 are shown in the position for locking the left-hand door 8 in the closed position and for pivotally connecting the left-hand edge of the cover to the body. The right-hand edge of the cover is free and the right-hand door is unlatched so that it is capable of swinging downwardly and outwardly as the body is tilted.

The cover-operating mechanism isformed in two similar parts. Each part is adapted free of the body during the tilting operation. The two parts are, however, so arranged that one is, in effect, inoperative when the other is operative. As illustrated, this mechanism includes two sets of pivotally connected links 20 and 21, one set being located at one side, and the other set at the other side of the longitudinal axis of the body. As shown, each link 20 is pivotally connected to the end abutment 4 and is adapted to swing downwardly, from its normal or inoperposition. When the mechareeenee ative position, into engagement with a stop 22 formed on or carried by the abutment. Two of these stops are shown, one located near each end of the abutment, and each is adapted to co-operate with one of the links 20. Each link 21 is shown pivo'tally con nected to the end walls of the cover 6.

the body 5 is tilted, the link 20 associated with the side of the body which moves downwardly, is carried downwardly with the body until it engages the stop 22. When the stop is engaged, it acts as an abutment and, through the agency of the link 21, associated with it, lifts the cover 6 off the downwardly-moving body. To be more concise, the link 21 operates to hold the adjacent edge of the cover substantially stationary so that the tiltin body moves downwardly away from it. Euringthis operation, the other set of links 20 and 21 are, in effect, inoperative. They are, however, so arranged that the link 21 moves with the cover, but without restraining it. It will, of course, be apparent that the operative link 21 does not hold the adjacent edge of the cover absolutely stationary since the far edge of the cover is pivotally secured to the tilting body and, consequently, the entire cover moves with the body, but one edge is elevatedabove the depressed edge of the body. It will also be apparent 21 (it being understood that the cover-operating mechanism is duplicated at both ends of the car) form a support for the cover and transmit the major portion of the weight of the cover to the stop 22 on abutment 4. Under such conditions, the unsupported weight of the cover is transmitted to the upwardly-moving edgeof the body 5 and, as a result, imparts a righting tendency to the body.

As illustrated, the cover includes end walls, side walls 23 and a top 24. The end walls are preferably supported by the end walls of the body when the cover is in the normal or closed position. The side walls are inclined inwardly from the bottom, the inclination being such as to provide adequate space for heaping the load within the body and at the same time being so arranged that the cover does not project materially beyond 1 the lateral limits of the body during the tilting operation and does not exert an appreciable lateral or tilting pull on the body when the body is in the extreme tilted position. The side or lateral pull of the cover is also reduced to a minimum because the supporting links 21 are maintained in sub stantially vertical positions when the body is in the extreme tilted position.

While the cover may be arranged to engage or even overlap the upper edges of the side doors when in the closed position, we have shown it so constructed that its lateral edges are adjacent and extend parallel to,

that the operative linkscover were used.

memes but do not actually engage or overlap the upper edges of the doors. We have also shown the body provided with stifi'ening braces 25 which aid in supporting the top 24 and which stiffen the entire cover construction and render it rigid and self-sup porting.

As shown, each side wall 23 of the cover is provided with loading hatches 26. These hatches are provided with covers 31 which are hinged to the cover 6 in such manner that they are held in the closed position by gravity. Each hatch cover 31 is provided with a combined operating handle and support 30, which, as shown, is so formedthat the upturned portion is easily accessible when the cover is closed and may be engaged by an L bar or hook in the hands of an operator standing on the running board, for the purpose of opening the cover. When the cover is lifted the supporting portion 32 engages the cover of the car and therefore prevents the cover 31 overlapping the running board;

The top 24 of the cover is provided with a running board 27 for. the convenience of trainmen and the cover may also be provided with a hand rail 28, as shown in Fig. 1. It will be apparent that the sloping sides 23 of the cover are not only economical in the use of sheathing and framing material but their use minimizes the lateral clearance which would be required if a rectangular This structure also minimizes the overturning action due to inertia and reduces the weight, and facili- V tates the self righting action of the body without reducing the capacity of the body.

We claim:

' 1. In a dump car, a tilting body, a cover for said body extending upwardly from the) sides thereof and havin side portions which slope inwardly toward t e top portion thereof to minimize the lateral overhang of the cover when the body is tilted.

2. In a dump car, an underframe, a body tiltingly mounted thereon, a cover for said body consisting of end portions, sides extending upwardly and inwardly from the top of the sides of said body with their uper edges spaced apart, and a to extending etween the upper edges of said sides. 3. In a dump car, an underframe, a body tiltingly mounted thereon, a cover for said body adapted to be hinged at either side of said body, means for tilting said body to dump its load on either side of said underframe, and means for raising said cover from the dumping side of said body.

4. In a dump car, an underframe, a. body tiltingly mounted on the underframe, a

cover for the body, disengageable hinged connections between the cover and the body for operatively connecting one side of the cover to the body, and, means actuated by the tilting of the body on the frame for lifting the other side of the cover free of the body as the body tilts.

5. In a dump car, an underframe, a body tiltingly mounted thereon, side doors hinged to the body, a cover for the body, means for disengageably hinging one edge of the body to the cover and for latching said hinged doors, and means for raising the other edge of the cover olf the downwardly moving edge of the body as the body tilts.

6. In combination in a dump car, an underframe, a body tiltably mounted thereon, side doors hinged to the body, a cover for the body, a latch mechanism pivotally mounted on the body for latching the door at one side of the body and for disengage- I ably hinging the adjacent edge of the cover to the body and means for raising the down.- wardly-moving edge of the cover off the body as the body tilts.

7. In combination in a dump car, an underframe, a tilting body having hinged doors on one side thereof, a cover hinged to said body and means operated by the tilting of the body for raising one edge of the cover off the body when the body is tilted and for imposing a righting thrust on the tilted body, said cover being so constructed as to minimize the lateral overhang thereof 'when the body is tilted.

8. In combination in a dump car, a body capable of being tilted to either side, a cover fon the body, disengageable hinge connectionsw between the body and the cover for operatively connecting either side of the cover to the body, and means for raising the downwardly moving edge of the cover off the body as the body is tilted.

9. In combination in a dump car, a body capable of being tilted to either side, a cover for the body, disengageable hinge connections between the body and the cover for operatively connecting eitherside of the cover downwardly moving edge of the car and for l13m osing 'a righting thrust on the tilted 10. In a dump car, a tilting body having a door adapted to open on the dumping side of the body when the latter is tilted to dump its'load, a body cover adapted to be hinged at either side of the body and'to be raised from the opposite side when the body is tilted to dump its load-from the latter side, latches positioned at each side of the car body and each adapted to secure a door on its respective side in closed position and to secure the adjacent side of said cover in hinged relation to the body and means connecting said latches so that only one of them may function as described at the same time.

11. In a dump car, an underframe, a body tiltingly mounted thereon, a cover for said and means operated by'a tilting body adapted to be hinged to said body at oneside thereof, a link having one end pivoted to one end of said underframe, a link having one end pivoted to the adjacent end of said body cover, the opposite ends of said links being pivotally connected to each other and a stop on said underframe which limits the pivotal movement of said first-mentioned link when the body is tilted and, through said link the movement of said second-mentioned link and said body cover.

12. In a dump car, an underframe, a body tiltingly mounted thereon, a cover for said body adapted to be hinged to said body at either side thereof, a pair of links pivotally connected to each other, and to the en of said under-frame and the end of said over respectivelyon one side of the center line of'the car, another pair of links similarly connected on the opposite side of said center line, stops on the end of said underframe, each of said pairs of links offei ing no obstruction to the upward movement of its side of said cover when the body is tilted in one direction and adapted to engage one of said stops to limit the downward movement of its side of said cover when the body is tilted in the opposite direction.

13. In a dump car, an underframe, a body tiltingly mounted thereon, a cover adapted to hinge on either side of said body, a link pivoted to said underframe and extending outwardly from the center thereof, a link pivoted to said cover and extending out wardly from the center thereof, the outer ends of said links being pivotally connected to each other, means for tilting said body on said underframe to dump its load and stops on said underframe below each of said links pivoted to said underframe and each adapted to engage its respective link when its side of said body is lowered during a tilting movement.

14. In. combination in a dump car, an underframe, a body mounted thereon and adapted to be tilted to discharge the load,

a cover hinged to sa1d body, and links operatively connected to said underframe and to said body for raising the cover ed the downwardly movin'g portion of the body when the bodyis tilted.

15. In combination in a dump car, an underframe, a body tiltingly mounted thereon, a door hinged on one side of the body, a cover for the body, means for latching said door and pivotally connecting oneedge of i the cover to the body, and means for raising the downwardly-moving edge of the cover about said pivotal connection as the body is tilted.

16. In combination in a dump car, an underframe, a tilting body, a cover for said body, disengageable hinged connections between the body and cover for operatively connecting one edge of the body to the cover, and means operated by the tilting of the body for raising one edge of the cover ofl' the body and for imposing a righting thrust on the body" as the body is tilted.

17. In combination in a dump car, an underframe, a body tiltingly mounted on the frame, side doors hinged to the body, a cover for the body, means for latching the door on one side of the body and for pivotally connecting the adjacent edge of the cover to the body, and means actuated by the tilting of the body for lifting the other edge of the cover off the body as the body is tilted.

18. In combination in a dump car, an underframe, a body tiltably mounted on the frame, side doors hinged to said body, a door latching mechanism secured to the body, and movable to latch one side door and engage the adjacent edge of said cover, and to release the other side door, and disengage the other edge of the cover, and means actuated by tilting of the body for lifting the cover from'the downwardly-moving side of the body and for imposing a righting thrust on the tilting body.

In testimony, whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our names this 20th day of April,

CHARLES H. CLARK. nowaan 1L. BEACH. 

